TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SEA SURFACE IN THE PHILIPPINES 675 



to latitude 5° north (the southernmost observation) there is a strong 

 development of eastward flowing water consisting the origin of the 

 counter current. The observations indicate that there is a strong flow 

 of water northward from the region of Halmahera and that this turns 

 eastward as the counter current in the area of observation. 



According to Schott there is an extreme seasonal change in the 

 water movements north of New Guinea with southeastward set in the 

 northern winter and a northwestward set in the northern summer. One 

 would deduce from his charts that the Counter Current is composed of 

 quite different water in different seasons of the year. During the north- 

 ern winter the eastward flow is composed largely of water which has 

 been ueilected from ihe North Equatorial Current, while during the 

 northern summer it is composed largely of water which is carried north- 

 westward from New Guinea and northeastward from the East Indies 

 region. However, at the southeasternmost part of our area of observa- 

 tion, namely, at latitude 5*^ north and longitude 130° east, the direction 

 of flow is always to the east. The Counter Equatorial Current is well 

 developed at this point the year around even though the origin of the 

 water may vary with the seasons. 



Our observations during the southwest monsoon, which corresponds 

 to the northern summer (Chart II), do not extend far enough south to 

 reveal the fate of the southward deflected waters during that survey. 



South China Sea. Surveys west of the Philippines covered the waters 

 along the west coast of Palawan and to the north of this area off the 

 coast of the island of Luzon. Along northern Luzon stations were oc- 

 cupied to a distance of 150 miles offshore. A line of stations extended 

 across Luzon Strait to Taiwan (Formosa). 



Two main features of the circulation in these areas seem to be main- 

 tained throughout the year. The first is a southwestward flow of water 

 along the west coast of Palawan; the second is a large well developed 

 eddy northwest of Luzon. In this huge eddy the water flows counter 

 clockwise with movement to the north near the coast. The eddy was 

 closer inshore in April than during the summer and the inshore current 

 was much more highly developed in April. 



Luzon Strait between northern Luzon and southern Taiwan (For 

 mosa) is a region of swift and variable currents. It is in effect a region 

 where the China Sea eddy to the west of Luzon borders the Pacific eddy 

 to the east of Luzon. During April and May there was a strong flow of 

 water through the Strait from the Pacific to the South China Sea in a 

 northwestward direction (Chart I). During August there was a deflec- 

 tion of this water within the Strait itself. The strong flow of Pacific 

 water into the China Sea in the southern half of the Strait was deflected 



